The USS Peacock (MSC-198) was a Bluebird-class coastal minesweeper built for the United States Navy, primarily designed for clearing coastal minefields. Her construction featured non-magnetic materials, including an all-wooden hull and stainless steel, aluminum, and bronze fittings, making her especially suited for mine-sweeping operations involving magnetic mines. This unique, non-magnetic construction was a costly feature, with an initial cost of approximately $3.5 million. Laid down on January 29, 1953, by the Harbor Boat Building Company in Terminal Island, California, she was launched on June 19, 1954, and sponsored by Miss B. Rechenmacher. Originally designated AMS-198, she was reclassified as a coastal minesweeper (MSC-198) on February 7, 1955, and commissioned on March 16, 1955. Following her commissioning, USS Peacock conducted training and minesweeping exercises along the California coast until early 1956. Her first deployment to the Far East began on February 4, 1956, marking the start of a long-term overseas presence. Stationed in Sasebo, Japan, she became the first of her class assigned to the U.S. 7th Fleet. During her service, she participated in numerous joint exercises with Allied navies and was actively involved in operational duties such as "Operation Market Time" off Vietnam and patrols during the Taiwan crisis in 1958. Throughout her service, Peacock operated extensively across the Far East, visiting ports in Hong Kong, Okinawa, Taiwan, the Philippines, Korea, and Japan, continuously supporting minesweeping and patrol missions. She took part in emergency operations during the Lebanon crisis and was a key participant in the Vietnam War, especially in Market Time patrols. Her commanding officer from October 1968 to April 1971 was Lt. Michael A. McDevitt, later RADM. After her long service in the Far East, she departed Japan in late 1970 for her return to Long Beach, California, where she was assigned as a Reserve training ship. USS Peacock was decommissioned and struck from the Naval Register on July 1, 1975, and was disposed of as scrap by September 1, 1976. Her operational history underscores her significance in Cold War-era mine countermeasure operations and maritime security.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.